Method of making shoes



Nov. s 92 1,559,863 W. H. FRANK METHOD OF MAKING- SHOES Filed Feb. 15, 1924 Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM H. FRANK,

OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

METHOD OF MAKING SHOES.

Application filed February 15, 1924. Serial No. 692,992.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that WVILLIAM' H. FRANK, a

citizen of the United States of America, re-

siding at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Making Shoes, of which the following is a. specification.

My invention relates to methods of making shoes, and more particularly to methods of making shoes having a. greater degree of flexibility than usual.

The object of my invention is in the method of making a shoe having a sole of great flexibility.

Another object of my invention is in my particular method of attaching to the insole an upper, a so-called duplex welt .and an outsole to provide a shoe having a great degree of flexibility. I

A further object of my invention is in the method of attaching to a normally flexible insole, other portions of the shoe in a manner to provide still further flexibility.

Other objects of my invention will appear in the following specification taken in connection with the annexed drawings; in which Fig. l is 'a plan View from above, showing in a broken section the manner of attaching the upper and weltto the insole as well as the outsole; Y

Fig. 2 is a plan View of Fig. 1 from below F ig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 83 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail showing the attachment of the various shoe portions after the. final sewing operation;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail showing the manner of attaching the flexible welt to the insole and upper.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown in Figures 1 and 2 merely broken sections of the main sections of the shoe, in order to permit a clear description of the manner of fashioning, or rather method of making the shoe.

The class of shoes to which the present application is directed is to the well-known welt type, wherein the outsole in the final operation is sewed to the welt.

hIy present method is directed to amaiiher of fashioning a. shoe to provide added flexibility of the insole and outsole.

In welt shoes heretofore in use the outsole is sewed to a welt of heavy leather, said welt having been previously attached to an insole of a rather inflexible construction.

To overcome the above, and to provide a flexible shoe, 1 first make a series of interrupted slits 10, or knife-like incisions upon the bottom of a formal insole 11. The insole 11 is of formal construction, and is channeled in the well-known manner as at 12.

A welt 13 of very flexible leather, pref erably the so-called upper leather,is placed adjacent the lower edges 14 of the upper and attached to the insole by means of the inseam. 15. A second welt 16 is placed above the thin upper leather welting 13, and the outsole is attached thereto, as well as to the before mentioned flexible welt, by means of the stitching 19.

The use of the above double or duplex welt not only gives an added flexibility to the shoe, but also permits a neat appearance of the outer edge of the sole. The flexible welt of upper leather, if used without the additional heavier welt, could not be trimmed to a proper edge as is necessary, due to its extreme softness. However, reinforced by the added welt, and imbedded between said welt and the outsole, its outer margin is so small that the normal trimming and butnishing operation is not hindered in the least.

My above described method of making a flexible shoe of course is not adapted to the heavier types of shoe, and as a. matter of fact is utilized more in the class of childrens and misses footwear.

My method of constructing a flexible shoe is also well adapted to shoeswherein a fabric upper is utilized.

IVhat I claim is: The method of making shoes, consisting in simultaneously securing an upper and a thin flexible welt to the insole, placing a separate relatively heavy reinforcing welt upon the upper face of the flexible welt free from the insole and then uniting the welts and outsole by a row of stitches.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM H. FRANK. 

